EVERYTIME WE TOUCH
by cha0s-reigns
Summary: Cody craves his touch, the feel of his hand on his skin. But he also cannot take it any longer. COMMENTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME... No seriously, please do!
1. Chapter 1

The lights shone, bright and dazzling. The crowds jeered, as was the expectation. The Legacy had once again picked up a victory, albeit through rather questionable methods (as was their style).

Cody Rhodes had been on edge all night, waiting for this moment.

He knew in a split second that he would not be able to go through with what came next. All of a sudden, there in the ring, something inside him seemed to snap. He saw the hand rise, knew it was meant for him. Heart pounding, the noise of the crowd drowned out, his breath racing.

With a short glance into the grey eyes, his face pleading for forgiveness, he took the smallest of steps backward. The hand meant for his neck, the touch he craved more than anything, missed its mark and instead held nothing but air.

Even before he heard the muffled curse of anger, he knew he had done it this time.

*****

The Viper stalked into the locker room, letting the door slam shut behind him. He was angry. He didn't know why, but he was fuming. The crowd suspected nothing, thank goodness. Stephanie would have torn him a whole new ass if they had noticed that sudden lapse in continuity.

What went wrong? Why had Cody cringed away?

Sure, he was acting a little weird lately but Randy put that down to the break up with Beth. He wanted answers, and he wasn't prepared to wait for them.

"What the hell was that, Cody?" he demanded, trying hard not to lose his cool.

Sitting on a bench near his locker, his head held in his hands, the younger man took a deep breath and fought with all his might to avoid looking into Randy's eyes. He hadn't planned it, it was an unintended move, but he had no choice. He couldn't take it anymore. Each touch was torture, a false hope that would never become anything else.

This man was his best friend. His hero.

Cody could clearly remember the day his world began to revolve around Randy Orton.

He had been wandering around, against his father's wishes, and had gotten lost in the now nameless arena. Alone and scared in the vast emptiness, he had curled into a corner, sobbing quietly.

 _He could clearly remember the fear coursing through him when he heard hurried foot falls in the dark hallway ahead of him, and the relief that had flowed through him when Randy, then only 11 years old, had emerged from the darkness. Cody had rushed into his arms and held on with all his 6 year old strength._

 _"There you are baby boy. Damn near scared me to death." Randy had said softly, stroking the shaking boy's hair. "What were you doing?"_

 _"Was...I... was looking for you." He had sniffled. "Then I got lost in the dark and I... don't have my... my Wolverine. It was scary."_

 _"Well ya don't have to be scared now, I'm here, Codes."_

 _Randy had led him back to his anxious father. When he was back safely in his arms, Dusty had thanked Randy profusely. Young Cody had proudly proclaimed, "He found me, Dad, like a hero."_

 _Dusty and the older wrestlers had chuckled at this adoration. "Your own hero, huh boy?"_

 _"Yup, even better than Wolverine." Cody had beamed, much to the delight of the older men._

Of course, as they grew, Randy became more than a hero to Cody, he became the one thing Cody knew he would never have.

Randy knew nothing of these feelings, he couldn't know, it would ruin their friendship, something Cody could not live with. So he did what he always did, covered it up. And once again, in reply to Randy's question, covering up was what he tried to do, except he had a feeling this was a doomed effort.

"It.. it was nothing, dude." he said quietly, "I just lost it a lil, ya know?"

"No. No, I don't know Cody. You almost ruined it out there...again!" Randy snapped back.

That last part made Cody flinch. It meant that Randy had noticed he was acting differently. He couldn't blame his behavior on the break with Beth for much longer. He had broken it off with her, unable to continue a lie for the sake of his public image. It wasn't fair to either of them, especially not to her. He wanted nothing more than to be free, but the fear of Randy's reaction was what kept him from not being able to come clean to the man he loved. This helplessness was killing Cody inside.

"I'm sorry, Randy. It won't happen again."

"Damn straight it won't. What's the matter with you? This shit just isn't like you, man."

"Look, I don't need another lecture, please."

"I'm not lecturing you, dammit. I just wanna know where the hell my best friend has disappeared to."

That response hit Cody hard, breaking the last of his already feeble defenses. Pain in his eyes, he almost whispered, "I...I'm right here. Randy, please."

Something in the younger man's voice startled Randy, made him think for a second.

It wasn't like Cody to admit he could not handle something. Whatever was bugging him had to be serious.

Out of instinct he reached out, running a hand over Cody's short hair, and then it happened again. Cody scrambled backward so fast he tripped over his bag and almost fell, had the wall not caught his back.

Randy stood frozen, his arm still outstretched, hand in mid-air where Cody's hair had been a second ago. Cody's eyes darted between Randy and the closed door. His heart racing in panic.

"What the hell was that? What did I do wrong?" Randy asked, anger building once again.

In that instant, Cody realized that he couldn't do this anymore, no man could stay so torn between worlds. "I... its not... shit! Randy, I can't.. you did nothing wrong, but.."

"But what?! Huh?" Randy interjected, "You've been shying away from me for weeks now. If you dislike me for some reason Cody, if I've done something wrong then..."

"No. No its not that." Cody burst out. "You did nothing wrong and..." he faltered.

He knew the second those words left his mouth that he was not going to be able to keep it hidden any longer. There wasn't any going back.

"Then why are you acting this way?"Randy asked.

Cody took a deep breath, "Because... because I like you, Randy." He whispered, his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Yea, yea I like you too Codes, which is why I don't get why..." Randy's voice faded away as realization hit him and he understood what Cody had said.

"Oh. You mean..."

Clenching his trembling hands, Cody willed himself to look up, to meet Randy's eyes.

He nodded slowly. "Yea, Randy... like that."


	2. Chapter 2

The silence that filled the room after Cody's confession was almost deafening.

For what seemed to be the longest time, the two men stared into each other's eyes, not able to find words. Cody's nerves were on a knife edge, he had no way of taking back what he had just confessed, nor did he want to, but he hoped desperately that revealing his true feeling would not come at the cost of Randy's friendship.

Randy on the other hand was in shock. He had often suspected, though he had never voiced these thoughts, that Cody was gay.

Now those thoughts seemed to have been confirmed, with just one big difference, Randy could never have comprehended that he was the object of Cody's affection. He wasn't sure what he thought of that, or how he was meant to react. Truth be told, it scared him a little.

"Randy..." a shaky whisper interrupted his thoughts.

Blinking, he looked at Cody, almost in a new light, "Um.. yea, Codes?"

"Please.. say something. I.. I can't.." Cody's nerves jumbled his words, tied his tongue, "Shit!" he cursed in frustration.

He moved toward the younger man, standing directly before him "No, no, Cody it's okay. You just.. you... kinda caught me off guard there."

"Yea, I um.. sorry about that. But, you aren't pissed off. I thought for sure I was gonna get a beating."

Randy smirked, "Well, if that's the kind of thing you like."

Cody's eyes went wide, had he heard right? He shuffled and looked as if he wanted to bury his head in the nearest hiding place.

"No, I.. dammit Randy thats..."

Strong hands came up on either side of his face, "Hey, hey Cody, I was just kidding. Sorry, man that was kinda a low blow."

Without thinking, as he always did, he leaned into the touch of Randy's hand on his cheek. Cody sighed in relief, he had come close to panic for the second time in mere minutes. This wasn't going as he expected, but it wasn't going badly either, so far.

"I know. Dam, my nerves are on edge. This is so.. unreal, it's all fucked up ya know?" he spoke up.

Randy looked at him quizzically, "Fucked up? Cody there's nothing wrong here."

It was Cody's turn to be confused. "I just told you that I like..., that I'm..."

".. that you are gay." Randy finished the sentence for him.

"I know what you said Codes and it's not fucked up at all. You aren't the only gay person in the world. I sure as hell aint gonna beat you for it."

"But Randy," Cody protested, "I like you, as in have a crush, smile when I think you, feel sick with nerves when I'm near you, type of like you. How is that anything other than messed up?"  
A million thoughts had been racing through Randy's mind since Cody had admitted his feelings. No that wasn't accurate, since Cody had come out to him - that sounded right.

None of what Randy was thinking was anything he had expected.

A thousand questions suddenly presented themselves, confusing him even more.

Why have I always been protective of Cody? How did he explain the anxiety he experienced when Cody was away from him for long periods? Why was it that Cody's presence alone could calm his rage? Why was it that he touched Cody, without thought, only by instinct?

Randy found it amazing that these thoughts, which if he was honest, had occurred to him before, suddenly didn't have the same answers, the justifications were no longer logical.

He was becoming increasingly focused on one particular question, one that needed an answer.

"What if... what if it's because I feel the same way about him?" he mused.

Wide eyed, his head spinning, Cody could only stare in shock. Surely that mumbled after thought had not come from Randy.

The Viper himself looked back at Cody, confused by the younger mans reaction.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Are you... did you really ask.." Cody stammered.

Randy realised he must have spoken out loud. Reeling, he back tracked, he wasn't gay. No way no how, not him. "Ah.. no, I was.. was just thinking out loud."

A little piece of Cody's hope crumbled. There wasn't much of it left in him anyway. "Oh. I thought that... maybe you might..might be saying.."

What? That I'm gay? I don't think so, Codes. I could never be a..." he snapped his jaw closed and regretted it as soon as the words formed in his mouth.

"A fag." Cody finished for him. "Ain't that fucking marvellous, Randy. I tell you terrified to admit for years and you stoop that fucking low."

Cody was shouting, "You know what, to hell with you Orton!"

The outburst shocked Randy. Everything was shocking him about this situation.

He reached for Cody but had his hand viciously slapped away.

"For the love of... shit... Cody, I'm sorry. Honest. I didn't mean it like that. It's just you surprised the hell outta me here and I dunno what to think right now, fuck this is a mess."

Cody laughed mockingly, "A mess? Really? Ya don't say!"

Randy sighed, exasperated. "Look, just gimme some time here. I gotta think, and we need to talk more about this, I know. Here just isn't the right place or time for that kinda conversation."

"Alright." Cody relented, "We'll talk later. Just, just don't hate me, okay?"

Smiling, Randy stroked softly over Cody's cheek, "I could never hate you, baby-boy." He whispered, using his childhood pet name for Cody and smiling inwardly at the way in which the boy leaned into his touch.

"Besides," he teased, "you havin a crush on me is very good for my easily inflated ego."

Cody laughed just a little and was on the point of replying when the door flung open.

"Hey guys! Whoa man was that close out there. Fuck sake Cody, you gotta memor.." Ted began but fell silent when he observed the position of the two men now staring at him, wide eyed.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked.

Cody cleared his throat to speak, but Randy beat him to it, "Yea, you did Teddy. I was just about to whack Rhodes here over the head for damn near making me look a fool out there. Something you better be sure not to do as well in future."

Cody breathed a silent sigh of relief; the breath had caught in his throat the second Ted had stormed in.

"Oh. Right." Ted replied eyeing them suspiciously.

Randy seized this opportunity, he needed space, some time to think, as he had said. With a last look at Cody, and without so much as a glance at Ted, he grabbed a towel and headed out the door toward the showers.

"You were a bad boy out there Codester." Ted teased before sitting down and digging through his bag for his iPhone. "Looks like the teacher's pet is in for a detention."

Cody turned away from him, hiding the turmoil he was sure would be written all over his face.

"I hope not." he whispered, "I really, really hope not."


	3. Chapter 3

Randy had studiously avoided Cody for the remainder of the show and had made a discreet, quick exit from the arena when the filming and interviews had wrapped.

In his hotel room, Jack Daniels in his hand, he lay fully clothed on his bed, which even he had to admit was fucking enormous.

In the dark, he stared at the ceiling. As much as he tried, his mind wouldn't fall blank. His head was swimming with the words he had shared with Cody earlier, the image of the young man closing his eyes and almost melting into his touch as he had caressed his cheek, the look of anger and hurt etched across his face when he had almost called him a – no, he couldn't give life to that hated word.

Randy sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair, growling with frustration.

He had always suspected that Cody was gay. The boy was far too groomed and way to good with girls to be fully straight. And if he was being honest, it didn't bother Randy that he was that way inclined. It didn't even bother him that Cody had some sort of crush on him.

What did bother him, was how it made him feel, what thoughts had came up in his head so quickly after Cody's admission. That awful uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach that was making him want to throw up with nerves. He felt like a weight was bearing on his shoulders and he didn't know why.

He didn't understand why he couldn't get Cody off his mind. It's all he had thought about since their talk and it was driving him insane.

He swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes shut, shoving his hand into his pocket and taking out his cigarettes and lighter. He got off the bed and stepped out onto the balcony, lighting one up. He took a deep drag and blew the smoke out, his eyes fixed on the street below him. Cody was in the next room, probably asleep by now.

"Shit," he mumbled.

Randy bit his lip gently, thinking back to what he had almost said earlier to Cody and that look of longing and shock on his face. It made Randy's stomach flutter. And that in itself scared the hell out of him. Why had he mumbled that? More to the point, why was he even thinking about that?

He rested back against the railing and took another drag from his smoke, feeling slightly angry.

He was always so sure of who he was. He knew that he was the playboy of the WWE. The guy who everyone fawned over, everyone wanted. The one who broke every girl's heart without so much as a second thought.

And now, now he was starting to question why he broke their hearts. Why did he constantly flit from lover to lover without stopping to see what was left in his wake. He had always just put it down to them not being what he was looking for.

But what was he looking for.

He knew deep down that he had suppressed any and all real feelings for people a long time ago. Before he had even really had a girlfriend.

His father had always told him that women were good for one thing and maybe he'd listened too closely. It was no secret that good old dad was a bit off the deep end.

As a child he had weathered much torment from his father, snide remarks about his closeness to Cody. Maybe he knew, even so young, that his father would hate him for being with another man and that had led him to build this wall around his feelings?

He couldn't deny these things, he needed to discover what they meant, what he wanted. Walking to the table next to his bed, shaking his head, he reached for his phone.

*****

In the room next door things were not exactly as Randy had thought they would be. Cody was not asleep.

The young man, clothed in a pair of sweatpants, lay on top of the covers. He doubted he would sleep for a long time to come. It felt as if his mind was running a marathon at a hundred miles an hour. The problem was, that no matter how far his thoughts carried him, that face, that man, was always at the centre of attention.

Cody had worked so hard on concealing his sexuality.

Don't misunderstand that - he was not ashamed of being gay. His parents, brother and sister had been unaffected by the news. Dustin had even joked about how ironic it seemed that even though Goldust was a feminine character, Cody was the one who "went gay" - as he had so eloquently put it.

His parents had both comforted him, told him that he meant nothing more or less in their eyes. Kristin had of course rejoiced that her brother would now be a suitable shopping partner.

Cody knew that his admission in the locker room earlier that day had been a turning point in the relationship between him and Randy. For a time he was sure that it would end badly, Randy would reject him. But when he had said that they needed to talk, it had sparked some hope within Cody.

Then there was the matter of those words. _"What if... what if I felt the same way about him?"_... Cody would bet his life that those were not just a simple case of thinking out loud.

He thought to himself how easy it would be to step up the relationship between him and Randy. Since they were children, Randy had always shown a protective streak over him, had seemed to touch him without thought. What must have been second nature to Randy had become torture to Cody as they had grown older.

These thoughts aside, he had not planned on coming out to Randy in this way. It was a mess and he saw no way to back track. He would have to go forward and weather whatever consequences came his way.

He frowned in frustration and turned over, closing his eyes.

Before he had even settled, Cody was drawn to the vibration of his phone on the night stand. He contemplated ignoring it, but thinking twice he reached for it and saw that he had received a text message.

 _Codes, you awake?_

This was unexpected.

Randy was not a fan of technology and had been through more iPhones than any normal man should. Cody had teased that perhaps he should consider a Samsung – the screens were bigger and less likely to annoy Randy. Yet here he was, texting at 2am in the morning.

 _Yea. Can't sleep. You text now?_ he sent the reply.

It took Randy a little longer to reply, clearly he was trying not to break the current phone.

 _LOL, yea I try. Why can't you sleep?_

Cody responded, _HaHa. Too much on my mind. You?_

Randy read his response and smiled a little, he wasn't alone in this confusion after all.

 _Same. Can't stop thinking._

 _About what?_ came Cody's text.

Pausing for a brief moment, Randy considered what he was about to text in reply. Then without further hesitation, he typed it in and hit send.

Cody felt his heart skip a beat, and for a second he almost forgot how to breathe.

The screen of his Galaxy shone brightly in the dark room, displaying the simple reply that Randy had sent him...

 _You._

THE END


End file.
